Chapter 40 Question ○34

Why do so many fast food restaurants promise you a free meal if you don't get a receipt when you pay? (Sam Tigrave) Most people who eat at fast food restaurants do not need to reimburse their food and beverage bills, so they rarely think of asking for a cash receipt when paying.So why are so many fast food restaurants posting signs in front of the checkout counters, reminding diners that they can enjoy a free meal if they don't receive the receipt? To prevent employee theft, owners of restaurants and other retail stores require cashiers to match the total amount shown on the register.If there is a shortage of cash, the cashier generally needs to pay out of his own pocket to make up for the difference.

To get around this control, cashiers can skip the cash register for some transactions.This works because it is difficult for restaurants to monitor the number of transactions that occur at each register.Therefore, if a customer orders a $20 meal and the cashier puts the money in his own pocket without using the cash register, then when the checkout ends that day, the cash in the cash register must match the statistics. Store owners can hire supervisors to make sure cashiers use the cash register for every transaction.But it's expensive, and anyone who doesn't get a check gets a free meal, a financial incentive that allows shop owners to let customers supervise their cashiers for free.